JP6095473B2 - Liquid filling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for quantitatively filling carbonated water in various containers represented by PET bottles and bottles.

As a filling device for filling various containers with liquid, for example, a device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.
Patent Document 1 specifies the liquid level of the liquid in the container based on the measured filling amount, and controls the operation of the electric cylinder so as to obtain a filling flow rate corresponding to the specified liquid level. Set the liquid filling flow rate according to the liquid level. According to Patent Document 1, it is said that by setting the filling flow rate according to the liquid level, rapid filling can be realized without causing entrainment of bubbles.

  By the way, as a liquid with which a container is filled, there is a liquid containing carbon dioxide gas (hereinafter, carbonic acid liquid). When the carbonic acid solution is filled in the container, the carbon dioxide gas contained in the carbonic acid solution causes foaming. Further, when filling the carbonic acid solution, the inside of the container is filled with carbon dioxide gas in advance, but the carbon dioxide gas inside the container is discharged out of the container with the filling of the carbonic acid solution. The discharged carbon dioxide gas is returned to the tank for storing the carbonic acid solution, and the filling path in the carbonic acid solution filling apparatus including the exhaust path constitutes a closed system with respect to the outside air.

  On the other hand, in the beverage industry, it is required to fill a container with contents in a very short time. In order to finish the filling in a short time, it is sufficient to increase the filling flow rate of the carbonic acid solution. However, the increase in the filling flow rate becomes a cause of bubble entrainment. Therefore, the filling flow rate cannot be simply increased. Patent Document 1 is intended for a liquid that does not contain carbon dioxide gas, and suggests shortening of the filling time for a filling device that targets a carbonic acid solution that constitutes a system in which a filling path is closed with respect to the outside air. Not give.

JP 2013-1417 A

  The present invention has been made based on such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid filling apparatus capable of realizing filling of a liquid containing carbon dioxide gas in a short time.

For this purpose, the liquid filling apparatus according to the present invention stores a carbonic acid solution filled in a container, and seals between a tank filled with carbon dioxide gas above the surface of the carbonic acid solution and the container. A filling nozzle that fills the container with the carbonic acid solution stored in the tank, an exhaust passage that flows carbon dioxide gas discharged from the container toward the tank by supplying the carbonic acid solution to the container, and an exhaust passage. And an orifice capable of adjusting the opening degree.
The liquid filling apparatus of the present invention can return the amount of carbon dioxide gas to the tank in conformity with the amount of carbonic acid liquid filled in the container by adjusting the opening of the orifice provided in the exhaust passage. The carbonic acid solution can be quickly filled into the container.

In the liquid filling apparatus of the present invention, a filling amount measuring unit that measures the filling amount of the carbonic acid solution filled into the container from the filling nozzle, and the opening degree of the orifice corresponding to the liquid level specified based on the measured filling amount identifying a control unit that controls the orifice of the opening in accordance with the identified opening, Ru comprising a.
According to this liquid filling apparatus, since the opening degree of the orifice is specified based on the information measured during the filling of the carbonic acid solution, an appropriate opening degree of the orifice corresponding to the progress of the filling of the carbonic acid liquid is set. Can be realized.

The liquid filling apparatus of the present invention can be applied to both a filling nozzle in which the opening degree of the discharge port of the carbonic acid solution can be arbitrarily adjusted and a filling nozzle in which the opening degree of the discharge port is fixed.
In the former case, the control unit adjusts the filling flow rate of the carbonic acid solution from the filling nozzle so as to obtain the filling flow rate corresponding to the specified liquid level.
In the latter case, the control unit can adjust the filling flow rate of the carbonic acid solution from the filling nozzle by adjusting the opening of the orifice so as to correspond to the specified liquid level. Since the latter does not require a drive source for adjusting the opening degree of the filling nozzle, an inexpensive filling nozzle can be used, so that the cost of the liquid filling apparatus can be reduced.

In the liquid filling device of the present invention, the control unit holds data in which the liquid level and the opening associated, by comparing the data with the specified liquid level, that identifies the opening of the orifice .
According to this liquid filling apparatus, the opening level of the orifice can be quickly identified by comparing the liquid level based on the measurement and the data held in advance, which contributes to the improvement of the filling speed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the drink apparatus filled with the liquid containing a carbon dioxide gas, quick filling can be implement | achieved, without producing entrainment of a bubble by setting the filling flow volume of the liquid according to a liquid level.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the drink filling equipment in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the liquid filling apparatus in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the filling nozzle in this Embodiment. The calculation formula which calculates | requires the liquid level of the liquid with which the container PB was filled in the calculating part is shown. The container PB to which the arithmetic expression shown in FIG. 4 is applied is shown. An example of the liquid level-filling flow rate data held in the data holding unit is shown. An experimental method for obtaining liquid level-filling flow rate data is shown. It is the table | surface which matched the presence or absence of bubble entrainment in association with the liquid level which increased the filling flow rate, and the increased filling flow rate. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the filling of the liquid to the container PB by the liquid filling apparatus in 1st Embodiment. An example of the container specification data and liquid level-filling flow rate data held in the data holding unit is shown. An example of the filling amount-opening degree data hold | maintained at a holding | maintenance part is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the filling of the liquid to the container PB by the liquid filling apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. An example of filling flow rate-opening data is shown.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage filling facility in the present embodiment includes a supply conveyor 01, a transfer wheel 02, a liquid filling device 03, a transfer wheel 04, a capper 05, a discharge wheel 06, and a discharge conveyor 07 as components.
In this beverage filling facility, each of the transfer wheel 02, the liquid filling device 03, the transfer wheel 04, the capper 05, and the discharge wheel 06 has an outer peripheral portion so that the container PB (for example, a plastic bottle) can be conveyed while being gripped. Are provided with holders at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. As a result, the transfer wheel 02 to the discharge wheel 06 rotate, hold the container PB, convey it, and deliver it.

  For this reason, the container PB conveyed by the supply conveyor 01 is gripped by the holder of the transfer wheel 02 at the position P1, and is conveyed from the position P1 to the position P2. At the position P2, the container PB is transferred from the transfer wheel 02 to the liquid filling apparatus 03, is gripped by the holder of the liquid filling apparatus 03, and is conveyed from the position P2 to the position P3. When transported from the position P2 to the position P3, the container PB is filled with the liquid via the filling nozzle provided in the liquid filling device 03.

  Further, the container PB is moved from the liquid filling device 03 to the transfer wheel 04 at the position P3, from the transfer wheel 04 to the capper 05 at the position P4, from the capper 05 to the discharge wheel 06 at the position P5, and to the discharge wheel 06 at the position P6. Is delivered to the discharge conveyor 07 and conveyed. In the capper 05, capping for covering the container PB is performed.

Hereinafter, the liquid filling device 03 which is a characteristic part of the beverage filling device will be described with reference to FIG. The target of the liquid L to be filled is carbonated water in which carbon dioxide gas is dissolved.
In the liquid filling device 03 shown in FIG. 2, the turning table T rotates in a horizontal plane around the turning axis C. A plurality of filling nozzles 1 and a plurality of holders 20 are arranged in pairs on the outer peripheral edge of the swivel table T at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.
A liquid storage tank 30 is disposed above the filling nozzle 1. The liquid storage tank 30 rotates synchronously with the filling nozzle 1 and the turntable T. The liquid storage tank 30 and each filling nozzle 1 are connected by a liquid supply pipe 40.
The filling nozzle 1 pours the liquid L flowing down from the tip thereof into the container PB while maintaining the relative positional relationship in the filling direction of the liquid L with respect to the container PB, that is, the vertical direction. During the filling of the liquid L, the space between the filling nozzle 1 and the container PB is sealed. The arrangement of the liquid storage tank 30 is arbitrary, and the present invention naturally allows it to be placed at a position separated from the swivel table T. The details of the filling nozzle 1 will be described later.

An exhaust path 26 is provided between the filling nozzle 1 and the liquid storage tank 30. The exhaust passage 26 branches into an exhaust passage 26A and an exhaust passage 26B on the filling nozzle 1 side.
The exhaust passage 26A is connected to the filling nozzle 1 so that one end thereof communicates with the gas exhaust passage 16 formed inside the filling nozzle 1 (see also FIG. 3). The other end of the exhaust passage 26 </ b> A is connected to the liquid storage tank 30 so as to communicate with the space S that occupies the upper side of the liquid level of the liquid L stored in the liquid storage tank 30. The exhaust path 26 </ b> A returns the carbon dioxide gas discharged from the container PB toward the space S when the liquid L is filled. An orifice 22 is provided on the exhaust path 26A.
One end of the exhaust passage 26B is connected to the filling nozzle 1 so that one end thereof communicates with a gas exhaust passage 16 formed inside the filling nozzle 1 (see also FIG. 3). The other end of the exhaust path 26B is open to the atmosphere. A sniff valve 24 is provided on the exhaust path 26B. In the sniffing process performed after the filling process is completed, the sniffer valve 24 is opened to discharge the gas in the container PB out of the system, and the inside of the container PB is lowered to atmospheric pressure.

The orifice 22 adjusts the amount of carbon dioxide gas discharged from the container PB when filling the liquid L to flow into the space S by changing the opening degree. In the present embodiment, the opening degree of the orifice 22 is adjusted in conjunction with the opening degree of the filling nozzle 1. The orifice 22 is provided with an opening / closing control unit 23 that adjusts the opening degree of the orifice 22. The opening / closing control unit 23 can use, for example, an electric actuator and operates by receiving a command from the control unit 50.
Here, while the liquid L is filled in the container PB, the system formed by the liquid storage tank 30, the liquid supply pipe 40, the filling nozzle 1, the container PB, and the exhaust path 26A becomes a sealed space. In this sealed space, even if an attempt is made to supply the liquid L from the filling nozzle 1 (movable valve body 15) to the container PB, the liquid L does not flow toward the container PB if the orifice 22 is closed (fully closed). On the other hand, when the orifice 22 is open, an amount of the liquid L corresponding to the opening degree can flow toward the container PB. That is, the opening degree of the orifice 22 is one of the factors that determine the amount of liquid L filled from the filling nozzle 1 into the container PB.

The holder 20 is fixed to the swivel table T and holds the container PB at a position below the filling nozzle 1. A load cell 21 (filling amount measuring unit) is assembled to the holder 20 and the weight of the liquid L to be filled can be measured. The weight of the liquid L can be measured by resetting the weight of the container PB to zero by calibration. The measurement data obtained by the load cell 21 is output toward the control unit 50 (calculation unit 51). Instead of the load cell 21, the filling amount can also be measured by a flow meter 41 that measures the volume of the liquid L that passes therethrough. Below, the example using the load cell 21 is demonstrated.
A liquid L such as a beverage to be filled in the container PB is stored inside the liquid storage tank 30.
Further, in the space S within the liquid storage tank 30, carbon dioxide dissolved in the liquid L is stored, and the carbon dioxide prevents the liquid L from deteriorating. Further, since carbon dioxide gas is sealed in the space S at a predetermined pressure, the stored liquid L is loaded with the pressure.
The liquid supply pipe 40 has an upper end communicating with the liquid storage tank 30 and a downstream end communicating with the liquid supply pipe 11 c of the filling nozzle 1 to connect the liquid storage tank 30 and the filling nozzle 1. .

Next, the filling nozzle 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the filling nozzle 1, the valve body 11 is connected to the electric cylinder 3 (electric motor) by the coupling structure 2 and the shaft coupling 17. Further, the liquid supply pipe 40 from the liquid storage tank 30 is connected to the liquid supply pipe 11 c in the filling nozzle 1. The exhaust path 26 is connected to the exhaust port 19.
The filling nozzle 1 includes a lower valve discharge port 11a of the valve body 11, an upper valve shaft guide 11d, an intermediate valve mounting flange 11b, and a liquid supply pipe 11c. The rod 13, the throttle 14, and the movable valve body 15 are incorporated so as to be movable in the axial direction. A seal 12 is provided in an annular shape at the tip of the valve discharge port 11a. When the liquid L is filled, the container PB is brought into contact with the valve discharge port 11a via the seal 12, and the inside of the container PB is sealed. The upper end of the valve shaft 10 is tightly coupled to the rod shaft 32 of the electric cylinder 3 by a shaft coupling 17.
An exhaust port 19 to which the exhaust path 26 is connected is formed in the valve body 11. One end of the exhaust port 19 communicates with the outside of the valve body 11 and the other end communicates with the gas exhaust passage 16. One end of the gas exhaust passage 16 opens at the tip of the valve body 11. The gas exhaust passage 16 forms an annular gap from the other end surface side connected to the exhaust port 19 to the tip. The gas exhaust passage 16 is formed on the outer side in the radial direction from the filling liquid passage 18.
When the liquid P is filled in the container PB and during the snift process, the surplus gas in the container PB passes through the gas exhaust passage 16 and the exhaust port 19 in this order, and then is sent to the exhaust passage 26. On the other hand, during the counter processing, the carbon dioxide gas in the space S of the liquid storage tank 30 is sent to the gas exhaust passage 16 through the exhaust passage 26A and the exhaust port 19 in this order. Details of each process will be described later.

Since the electric cylinder 3 is known in various configurations, the details thereof are omitted here. For example, a rotary motor that converts a rotary motion of a motor such as a servo motor into a linear motion by a ball screw, or a nut by using a hollow motor. Generally, a screw type shaft (rod) is converted into a linear motion by rotating the side.
The electric cylinder 3 includes a cylinder body 31 and a rod shaft 32. For example, the above-described servo motor is provided in the cylinder body 31, and the ball screw and the rod shaft 32 for converting the rotational motion of the servo motor into a linear motion are tightly coupled. The electric cylinder 3 can control the advance / retreat position and advance / retreat speed of the rod shaft 32 by controlling the rotational position and speed of the servo motor. Since the movable valve body 15 is connected to the rod shaft 32 via the valve shaft 10 or the like, the electric cylinder 3 can control the advance / retreat position and advance / retreat speed of the movable valve body 15. The driving of the electric cylinder 3 is controlled by a control unit 50 described later.

The movable valve body 15 is in contact with a fixed valve seat 11e provided immediately above the valve discharge port 11a, or is opposed to the fixed valve seat 11e with a gap therebetween, whereby a filling liquid passage through which a filling liquid such as a beverage is supplied via the liquid supply pipe 11c. A function of the flow rate adjusting valve 5 for adjusting the opening degree of 18 is provided.
The valve rod 13 is a shaft-like component having a movable valve element 15 at the lower end and a throttle 14 at the upper end, and is tightly connected to the valve shaft 10 by, for example, screwing.

  The filling nozzle 1 controls the position of the movable valve body 15 with respect to the fixed valve seat 11e by driving the electric cylinder 3, and can adjust the opening degree (hereinafter simply referred to as opening degree) of the liquid L discharge port. . When the liquid L is filled, the movable valve body 15 is separated from the fixed valve seat 11e. Among them, when the filling flow rate is reduced, the movable valve body 15 is moved closer to the fixed valve seat 11e and the opening degree is reduced, and when the filling flow rate is increased, the opening degree is moved away from the fixed valve seat 11e. Increase In the present embodiment, the distance from the movable valve body 15 to the fixed valve seat 11e is changed according to the liquid level of the liquid L, but is also adjusted by the viscosity of the liquid L (liquid type) filled in the container PB. . That is, when the same filling flow rate is obtained, the filling liquid with low viscosity moves the movable valve body 15 closer to the fixed valve seat 11e, and the filling liquid with high viscosity moves the movable valve body 15 away from the fixed valve seat 11e. Therefore, the distance from the movable valve body 15 to the fixed valve seat 11e is adjusted. As described above, the filling nozzle 1 fills the liquid L while appropriately adjusting the position of the movable valve body 15.

  According to the filling nozzle 1 in which the driving source of the movable valve body 15 is the electric cylinder 3, the driving speed of the movable valve body 15 can be easily changed, so that an arbitrary filling flow rate can be set quickly. Further, since the movable valve body 15 can be easily stopped at an arbitrary position, the filling flow rate can be set in multiple stages. Therefore, the filling nozzle 1 can easily and quickly cope with various filling conditions, and this makes it possible to control the filling flow rate according to the liquid level described later.

The liquid filling device 03 includes a control unit 50.
The controller 50 controls the flow rate of the liquid L that fills the container PB from the filling nozzle 1 by adjusting the operation of the electric cylinder 3 that is the drive source of the movable valve body 15. Further, the control unit 50 adjusts the opening degree of the orifice 22 through the operation of the opening / closing control unit 23 and controls the amount of carbon dioxide passing through the orifice 22.
The control unit 50 that executes this control includes a calculation unit 51, a data holding unit 52, and an instruction unit 53.

  The calculation unit 51 calculates the liquid level of the liquid L filled in the container PB by calculation. The calculation unit 51 (control unit 50) acquires data (liquid weight data) related to the weight of the container PB output from the load cell 21. In addition, the calculation unit 51 acquires the container specification data and the liquid level-filling flow rate data for the container PB from the data holding unit 52.

If the position of the surface of the liquid L filled in the container PB from the bottom surface of the container PB, that is, the liquid level is hL, the calculation unit 51 obtains the liquid level hL by the equation (1) shown in FIG. Can do.
Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the container PB is divided into n equal parts with a minute interval Δh in the height direction, and each divided section is divided into d1, d2,..., Dn from below the container PB. And Each of the cross sections d1, d2,..., Dn has a circular opening, and the area of the opening is a1, a2,. Then, the weight W1 of the liquid L filled from the lowermost surface of the container PB to the cross section d1 is obtained by the equation (2) shown in FIG. 4, and is filled from the lowermost surface of the container PB to the uppermost cross section dn. The weight W of the liquid L filled in the container PB is obtained by the equation (3) shown in FIG. Since Δh is H / n, the weight W (t) of the liquid L filled from the bottom surface of the container PB to an arbitrary position (liquid level) hL (t) in the height direction is an expression shown in FIG. (4). From the formula (4), the position hL (t) is expressed by the formula (5) shown in FIG. 4. If the weight W (t) of the liquid L filled in the container PB is known, the position hL (t) in the container PB The liquid level of the liquid L can be obtained. In the formula (5), the weight W (t) is equivalent to the measurement data from the load cell 21 in the formula (1), and the portion related to the container PB is the container of the formula (1) as shown in the formula (6) shown in FIG. Equivalent to specification data. The container specification data is held in advance in the data holding unit 52.
As described above, the calculation unit 51 uses the container specification data held by the data holding unit 52 by acquiring the liquid weight data (filling amount) of the liquid L filled in the container PB from the load cell 21. Thus, the estimated value of the liquid level corresponding to the weight can be obtained by calculation based on Expression (1).

  When the beverage filling facility of the present embodiment fills the liquid L into a plurality of types of containers PB having different specifications, the container holding data for each container PB is held in the data holding unit 52. Prior to filling with the liquid L, the calculation unit 51 acquires the container specification data from the data holding unit 52 by selecting the container specification data corresponding to the container PB filled with the liquid L. The liquid level can be determined. In this regard, an example of container specification data will be described later.

Next, the computing unit 51 specifies the filling flow rate corresponding to the liquid level based on the liquid level and the liquid level-filling flow rate data obtained as described above.
An example of the liquid level-filling flow rate data held in the data holding unit 52 is shown in FIG. The liquid level-filling flow rate data is data in which the liquid level is associated with the filling flow rate of the liquid L in which bubbles are not entrained at the liquid level. If the liquid L is filled at the filling flow rate in the lower area where hatching is applied from the liquid level-filling flow rate curve of FIG. 6, no bubbles are involved. In particular, if the filling flow rate on the liquid level-filling flow rate curve is adopted, filling can be completed in the shortest time without causing bubble entrainment.
Further, the data holding unit 52 holds the filling flow rate-opening data shown in FIG. In the filling flow rate-opening data, the filling flow rate and the opening degree of the orifice 22 are associated with each other. As described above, the opening degree of the orifice 22 is an element that determines the amount of the liquid L filled from the filling nozzle 1 into the container PB, and therefore corresponds to the filling flow rate by using the filling flow rate-opening data. The opening degree of the orifice 22 can be selected.
When the liquid level is obtained based on the equation (1), the calculation unit 51 compares the liquid level-filling flow rate data shown in FIG. 6 and specifies the filling flow rate corresponding to the liquid level.

The instruction unit 53 operates the orifice 22 in conjunction with the movable valve body 15 via the electric cylinder 3 based on the filling flow rate specified by the calculation unit 51. Specifically, the instruction unit 53 holds opening degree data of the filling nozzle 1 corresponding to the filling flow rate, and the filling nozzle corresponding to the filling flow rate is obtained by acquiring the filling flow rate specified by the calculation unit 51. 1 is specified, and the electric cylinder 3 is operated based on the opening.
Further, the instruction unit 53 operates the opening / closing control unit 23 in conjunction with the operation of the electric cylinder 3 to adjust the opening degree of the orifice 22. Then, an amount of carbon dioxide gas suitable for the level of the liquid L filled in the container PB passes through the orifice 22 and is returned to the space S of the liquid storage tank 30.
In addition, the instruction unit 53 holds data regarding the total weight (set filling amount) of the liquid L to be finally filled in one container PB, and acquires liquid weight data from the load cell 21. When the instruction unit 53 compares the liquid weight data with the set filling amount and detects that the filling of the liquid L into the container PB has been performed until the set filling amount is reached, the instruction unit 53 operates the electric cylinder 3 to fill the filling nozzle. 1 is instructed to close at a predetermined time.

Here, an example of an effective technique for obtaining the liquid level-filling flow rate data will be introduced with reference to FIG.
[conditions]
The container PB (for example, a pet pot having a capacity of 500 ml) is filled with the liquid L at a filling flow rate (for example, 50 ml) so that the liquid level does not fluctuate up to the prescribed liquid level described below.
Specified liquid level = 30, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120mm
When the specified liquid level is reached, it is increased to the predetermined filling flow rate described below.
Predetermined filling flow rate = in the range of 100 to 300 ml / sec in increments of 25 ml / sec [evaluation method]
The maximum and minimum values of the liquid level immediately after increasing the filling flow rate are read, and the liquid level fluctuation amount is obtained as follows.
Liquid level fluctuation amount = Liquid level maximum value−Liquid level minimum value According to the above evaluation method, the inventors have found that the liquid level fluctuation amount increases as the liquid level decreases, and the liquid level fluctuation increases as the filling flow rate increases. It has been confirmed that the amount increases.

Further, by observing the state of bubble entrainment immediately after increasing the filling flow rate, the presence or absence of entrainment of bubbles can be summarized in association with the liquid level with the increased filling flow rate and the increased filling flow rate as shown in FIG. .
As shown in FIG. 8, there is a boundary where no bubble entrainment occurs with respect to the liquid level with the increased filling flow rate and the increased filling flow rate. FIG. 8 shows that in order to complete the filling of the liquid L in the shortest time without causing bubble entrainment, the liquid L is filled at the maximum filling flow rate (critical filling flow rate) at which the bubble entrainment does not occur. It suggests that you should do. For example, when the liquid level is 30 mm, the filling flow rate is 100 ml, when the liquid level is 60 mm, the filling flow rate is 150 ml, and when the liquid level is 100 mm, the filling flow rate is 175 ml. If the flow rate is controlled, the filling of the liquid L can be completed in the shortest time without causing bubble entrainment. In this way, the liquid level-filling flow rate data can be obtained from FIG. 8, and this liquid level-filling flow rate data is held in the data holding unit 52 of the control unit 50. The liquid level fluctuation amount corresponding to the critical filling flow rate is as shown in FIG. 8, and the filling flow rate can be controlled using this as a scale.

  The liquid level-filling flow rate data may vary depending on the type of the liquid L and the specification of the container PB filled with the liquid L. Therefore, when the beverage filling facility of the present embodiment supports different types of liquid L and containers PB of different specifications, the liquid level-filling flow rate data corresponding to the types of liquid L and specifications of the containers PB is retained. It is necessary to hold the part 52. And the calculating part 51 specifies a filling flow volume based on the said liquid level-filling flow volume data.

Next, the procedure of filling the liquid P into the container PB by the liquid filling device 03 will be described with reference to FIG.
The container PB is transported to a predetermined filling position (position P2 in FIG. 1) of the liquid filling apparatus 03, and the insertion port of the container PB and the tip of the filling nozzle 1 are brought into close contact with each other through the seal 12, and then the liquid L is put into the container PB. A series of processes for filling is performed.

  First, a counter process is performed (S100 in FIG. 9). In the counter process, the liquid P to which the pressure is blown is filled in a container PB having an atmospheric pressure lower than the pressure to prevent foaming in the container PB in advance. This is a process of balancing the internal pressure with the pressure applied to the liquid L. Specifically, the orifice 22 is opened, and the carbon dioxide gas sealed in the space S of the liquid storage tank 30 is transferred into the container PB through the exhaust passage 26A and the gas exhaust passage 16. After the counter process, the orifice 22 is once closed.

Following the counter process, a filling process is performed.
The flow rate adjusting valve 5 and the orifice 22 are opened, and the filling of the liquid L is started (S101 in FIG. 9). When the filling of the liquid L starts, the calculation unit 51 of the control unit 50 acquires the liquid weight data output from the load cell 21 and acquires the container specification data and the liquid level-filling flow rate data from the data holding unit 52 ( FIG. 9 S103, S105, S107).

  The calculating unit 51 uses the obtained liquid weight data and container specification data to calculate the liquid level at the liquid weight (S109 in FIG. 9). This calculation is performed based on the equations (1) to (6) shown in FIG.

Next, the calculation unit 51 specifies the filling flow rate corresponding to the liquid level based on the obtained liquid level and the liquid level-filling flow rate data (S111 in FIG. 9). Data regarding the filling flow rate is sent from the calculation unit 51 to the instruction unit 53. The instruction unit 53 operates the electric cylinder 3 so that the flow rate of the liquid L discharged from the filling nozzle 1 toward the container PB coincides with the filling flow rate specified by the calculation unit 51, and thereby the fixed valve seat 11e is operated. The position of the movable valve body 15, that is, the opening degree of the filling nozzle 1 is adjusted.
When the filling flow rate is specified, data specifying the corresponding opening degree is sent from the data holding unit 52 to the instruction unit 53 based on the filling flow rate-opening degree data. The instruction unit 53 operates the opening / closing control unit 23 to adjust the opening degree of the orifice 22 so that the specified opening degree is obtained. Then, an amount of carbon dioxide gas corresponding to the liquid level of the liquid L in the container PB passes through the orifice 22 and is transferred to the liquid storage tank 30 (S113 in FIG. 9).

The above procedure (S103 to S113) is continuously performed until the set filling weight is reached (S115 No in FIG. 9). By doing so, liquid filling can be performed in a short time without causing bubble entrainment.
On the other hand, when the set filling weight is reached, the instruction unit 53 instructs the electric cylinder 3 and the opening / closing control unit 23 to close the filling nozzle 1 and the orifice 22 (FIG. 9, S115 Yes, FIG. 9, S117). .

Since the pressure in the container PB when the filling process is finished is higher than the atmospheric pressure, the snift valve 24 is opened, the gas in the container PB is discharged out of the system, and the inside of the container PB is lowered to the atmospheric pressure (snift process). (FIG. 9 S118).
Thus, when the container PB filled with the liquid L is transported to the predetermined filling position (position P3 in FIG. 1) of the liquid filling apparatus 03, the filling process of the liquid L is completed (S119 in FIG. 9).

According to the embodiment described above, feed-forward control that controls the filling flow rate according to the liquid level calculated based on the filling amount of the liquid L into the container PB is adopted, so that the carbon dioxide gas into the container PB is reduced. The filling of the liquid L containing it can be completed quickly. In particular, in this embodiment, the opening degree of the orifice 22 in addition to the filling nozzle 1 is adjusted so as to match the process of filling with the liquid L, so that only the opening degree of the filling nozzle 1 is adjusted. This contributes to quick filling of the liquid L.
Moreover, since this embodiment calculates | requires a liquid level by calculating while supplying the liquid L to the container PB based on the measured filling amount and container specification data, even if the container PB to be filled is changed, The liquid level can be accurately obtained simply by holding the container specification data corresponding to it and selecting it.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the filling of the liquid L that fills the container PB based on the liquid level-filling flow rate data in which the liquid level and the filling flow rate that can be filled with the liquid L without causing bubble entrainment are associated. Since the flow rate is specified, quick filling can be more reliably realized without causing entrainment of bubbles.

In the present embodiment, the method of specifying the filling flow rate using the load cell 21 has been described. However, instead of the load cell 21, the filling flow rate can also be specified by a flow meter 41 that measures the volume of the liquid L that passes therethrough. .
In this case, the calculation unit 51 acquires liquid weight data in the container PB calculated from the density of the liquid to be filled, the flow rate per unit time measured by the flow meter 41, and the filling time. As in the case where the load cell 21 is used, the filling amount corresponding to the liquid level can be specified based on the liquid level-filling flow rate data.

In the above description, the filling flow rate-opening data is retained, but the filling flow rate is a value corresponding to the obtained liquid level. It can be regarded as data in which the degree is associated (liquid level-opening data). That is, the present invention holds the liquid level-opening data instead of the filling flow rate-opening data, and specifies the opening of the orifice 22 based on the obtained liquid level and liquid level-opening data. You can also.
The liquid filling apparatus of this embodiment can be used, for example, to fill a carbonic acid solution into a container PB previously filled with mandarin orange sandbags. The filling of the carbonic acid solution is performed with the opening of the filling nozzle 1 fully opened, but the filling flow rate into the container PB can be controlled by adjusting the opening of the orifice 22. Moreover, the liquid filling apparatus of the first embodiment can be used when filling the container PB with a liquid not containing carbon dioxide gas. In this case, the filling flow rate of the liquid into the container PB can be controlled by adjusting the opening degree of the filling nozzle 1.

[Second Embodiment]
As described above, in the process of filling the liquid L, the system including the liquid storage tank 30, the filling nozzle 1, the container PB, and the like is in a sealed state. Therefore, even if the flow rate adjusting valve 5 is open, the liquid L cannot be filled into the container PB if the orifice 22 is closed, but the liquid L filled into the container PB by adjusting the opening of the orifice 22. The amount of can be adjusted. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a method of controlling the filling flow rate of the liquid L into the container PB only by adjusting the opening degree of the orifice 22 will be described.
Since the configuration of the apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description here will focus on the differences.

The flow rate adjusting valve 5 in the second embodiment functions as an on-off valve that can select either fully open or fully closed, and is fully opened and fixed in opening at the time of counter processing and liquid L filling processing. Otherwise, it is fully closed (opening is zero).
In addition, the data holding unit 52 holds only the liquid level-filling flow rate data and the filling flow rate-opening degree data corresponding to the type of the liquid L and the specification of the container PB.

A procedure for filling the container PB with the liquid L according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The container PB is transported to a predetermined filling position (position P2 in FIG. 1) of the liquid filling apparatus 03, and a counter process is performed (S200 in FIG. 12).
After the counter process, the filling of the liquid L is started by sealing between the filling nozzle 1 and the orifice 22 (S201 in FIG. 12).
Then, the calculation unit 51 acquires the liquid weight data output from the load cell 21 and the container specification data and the liquid level-filling flow rate data from the data holding unit 52 (FIG. 12, S203, S205, S207).

  The calculating unit 51 uses the acquired liquid weight data and container specification data to calculate the liquid level at the liquid weight (S209 in FIG. 12). Next, the computing unit 51 specifies the filling flow rate corresponding to the liquid level based on the obtained liquid level and the liquid level-filling flow rate data (S111 in FIG. 12). Data regarding the filling flow rate is sent from the calculation unit 51 to the instruction unit 53. The instruction unit 53 adjusts the opening degree of the orifice 22 by operating the opening / closing control unit 23 so as to match the filling flow rate specified by the calculation unit 51 based on the filling flow rate-opening degree data (FIG. 12). S213).

The above procedure (S203 to S213) is continuously performed until the set filling weight is reached (No in FIG. 12 S215). By doing so, liquid filling can be performed in a short time without causing bubble entrainment.
On the other hand, when the set filling weight is reached, the instruction unit 53 instructs the electric cylinder 3 and the opening / closing control unit 23 to close the filling nozzle 1 and the orifice 22 (FIG. 12 S215 Yes, FIG. 12 S217).
Then, the inside of the container PB is lowered to atmospheric pressure by performing a sniffing process (S218 in FIG. 12).
When the container PB filled with the liquid L is thus transported to the predetermined filling position (position P3 in FIG. 1) of the liquid filling apparatus 03, the filling process of the liquid L is completed (S219 in FIG. 12).

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the same effects as the first embodiment. That is, since the flow rate adjusting valve 5 is sufficient as an on-off valve, it is possible to use an inexpensive device with a simple configuration including a drive source, and thus the cost of the liquid filling device can be reduced.
In the above description, the filling flow rate is obtained by referring to the liquid level-filling flow rate data, and then the opening degree of the orifice 22 is specified based on the filling flow rate-opening degree data. It is also possible to retain only the associated liquid level-opening data and specify the opening directly from the liquid level obtained by calculation. In this case, since it is not necessary to hold the liquid level-filling flow rate data, and it is not necessary to perform an operation for specifying the filling flow rate, the configuration of the control unit 50 can be simplified. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to adjust the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 5 while the liquid L is filled, it is possible to save power consumption accordingly.

Although the first embodiment and the second embodiment have been described with respect to one type of container PB and one type of liquid L, the present invention can be applied even when there are a plurality of types of containers PB and liquids L.
Suppose that the containers PB to be processed are containers A, B,..., N, and the liquids L to be filled are liquid α, liquid β, and liquid γ. As shown in FIG. 10, the data holding unit 52 holds container specification data corresponding to the containers A, B,. Further, the data holding unit 52 holds the liquid level-filling flow rate data corresponding to the container A, the container B,..., The container N for each liquid L (liquid type). Then, the control unit 50 has a function of selecting the container PB and the liquid L. Then, prior to performing the processing by the beverage filling device, the container PB filled with the liquid L is selected from the container A, the container B,..., The container N, and the filled liquid L is the liquid α, By selecting from the liquid β and the liquid γ, the container specification data and the liquid level-filling flow rate data acquired by the calculation unit 51 can be specified according to the container type and the liquid type.
Similarly, the filling flow rate-opening data can be specified according to the container type and the liquid type (FIG. 13).

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on 1st Embodiment, 2nd Embodiment, unless it deviates from the main point of this invention, the structure quoted in the said embodiment is selected or changed suitably to another structure. Can do.
For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the liquid level is specified based on the measured filling amount and container specification data, and the orifice 22 is based on the liquid level-filling flow rate data and the filling flow rate-opening data. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the data holding unit 52 holds the filling amount-opening data in which the filling amount and opening degree of the container PB filled with the liquid L are associated with each other in advance. In the filling amount-opening data, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the filling amount and the opening degree are associated with each container PB. When the calculation unit 51 acquires the filling amount from the load cell 21, the opening amount at the filling amount can be specified by comparing the filling amount-opening degree data.
The method of specifying the opening by referring to the filling amount-opening data has an advantage that the opening can be specified quickly because it is not necessary to perform calculation because it is referred from the data table (for example, FIG. 11).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, although the example which changes a filling flow rate continuously according to a liquid level was shown, this invention is not limited to this, A filling flow rate is changed in steps. Allow that. However, continuously changing the filling flow rate is advantageous for filling the liquid L at a filling flow rate that reflects the critical filling flow rate.

01 Supply Conveyor 02 Transfer Wheel 03 Liquid Filling Device 04 Transfer Wheel 05 Capper 06 Discharge Wheel 07 Discharge Conveyor 1 Filling Nozzle 2 Coupling Structure 3 Electric Cylinder 5 Flow Control Valve 10 Valve Shaft 11 Valve Body 12 Seal 13 Valve Rod 15 Movable Valve Body 16 Gas exhaust passage 17 Shaft joint 18 Filling fluid passage 19 Exhaust port 20 Holder 21 Load cell 22 Orifice 23 Opening / closing control unit 24 Sniff valve 26 Exhaust passage 30 Liquid storage tank 31 Cylinder body 32 Rod shaft 40 Liquid supply pipe 41 Flow meter 50 Control unit 51 Calculation unit 52 Data holding unit 53 Instruction unit C Pivot axis P1 to P6 Position PB Container L Liquid S Space T Pivot table

Claims (3)

Storing the carbonic acid liquid filled in the container, and a tank filled with carbon dioxide gas above the liquid level of the carbonic acid liquid;
A filling nozzle for filling the container with the carbonic acid solution stored in the tank in a state where the space between the container and the container is sealed;
An exhaust path for flowing carbon dioxide gas discharged from the container toward the tank by supplying the carbonic acid solution to the container;
An orifice provided on the exhaust passage and capable of adjusting an opening;
A filling amount measuring unit for measuring the filling amount of the carbonic acid solution filled into the container from the filling nozzle;
A controller that specifies an opening degree of the orifice corresponding to the liquid level specified based on the measured filling amount, and controls the opening degree of the orifice according to the specified opening degree.
The controller is
The liquid filling apparatus , wherein the opening degree of the orifice is controlled based on data in which the liquid level and the opening degree are associated with each other. The filling nozzle is
The opening of the discharge port through which the carbonic acid solution is discharged can be adjusted,
The controller is
Adjusting the filling flow rate of the carbonic acid solution from the filling nozzle so as to obtain a filling flow rate corresponding to the specified liquid level;
The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 1 . The filling nozzle is
The opening of the discharge port from which the carbonic acid solution is discharged is fixed,
The controller is
By adjusting the opening of the orifice to correspond to the specified liquid level, the filling flow rate of the carbonic acid solution from the filling nozzle is adjusted,
The liquid filling apparatus according to claim 1 .

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